Two giant tunnelling machines launched from our Kirtling Street site have completed excavation of the 12.6km central section of the new Thames Tideway Tunnel.
Millicent, our westbound tunnel boring machine (TBM), completed her 5km journey to Carnwath Road in Fulham in November 2019. TBM Ursula broke through to the shaft at our Chambers Wharf site in Bermondsey in November 2020 having tunnelled 7.6km eastwards deep below Central London. As the two 8.8m diameter tunnelling machines were digging the tunnel, they installed pre-cast concrete segment rings as the primary lining.
We are now casting the concrete secondary lining in the 5km westbound stretch of tunnel. The secondary lining is cast around two giant shutters that hold the concrete against the primary lining segments as it sets. The shutters will work their way back towards our Kirtling Street shaft from our Carnwath Road site.
In our eastbound stretch of tunnel, we are removing the equipment that was supporting our TBM as it tunnelled deep below London. This will allow us to lower another two secondary lining shutters to the bottom of our shaft and into the eastbound tunnel to begin casting the secondary lining in this stretch of tunnel.
The concrete needed for the secondary lining is provided by our on-site concrete batching plant and silos. The materials required for the batching plant to produce the concrete will be delivered by barge. By utilising the river for deliveries, we will be removing some 6,000 lorries from the roads around Nine Elms.
If you have any questions about this or our site at Kirtling Street please get in touch with our helpdesk on 08000 30 80 80 or [email protected]
